2017 | Clemens Scott Kruse, Nicole Krowski, Blanca Rodriguez, Lan Tran, Jackeline Vela, Matthew Brooks
This systematic review and narrative analysis explores the association between telehealth and patient satisfaction, focusing on effectiveness and efficiency. The study used Boolean expressions to search Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature and MEDLINE, resulting in 2193 articles, of which 44 were included. Key factors identified as improving patient satisfaction included improved outcomes (20%), preferred modality (10%), ease of use (9%), low cost (8%), improved communication (8%), and decreased travel time (7%). These factors collectively accounted for 61% of occurrences. The review highlights the importance of understanding these factors to help implementers tailor interventions to specific problems. Telehealth has the potential to extend healthcare services to remote areas, improve access, and enhance patient outcomes, but it must address provider resistance and ensure reimbursement to maintain patient satisfaction.This systematic review and narrative analysis explores the association between telehealth and patient satisfaction, focusing on effectiveness and efficiency. The study used Boolean expressions to search Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature and MEDLINE, resulting in 2193 articles, of which 44 were included. Key factors identified as improving patient satisfaction included improved outcomes (20%), preferred modality (10%), ease of use (9%), low cost (8%), improved communication (8%), and decreased travel time (7%). These factors collectively accounted for 61% of occurrences. The review highlights the importance of understanding these factors to help implementers tailor interventions to specific problems. Telehealth has the potential to extend healthcare services to remote areas, improve access, and enhance patient outcomes, but it must address provider resistance and ensure reimbursement to maintain patient satisfaction.